Kingdom Hearts III Dirge of the Hearts
by Mr. Sadist
Summary: Years ago, Sora supposedly died in a Heartless attack. Now years later, he reappears, changed from the boy he once was. Can he and his friends, old and new alike, join together and defeat the new evil, or will all be lost? Sora/Riku
1. Prologue

Welp, this plot bunny has been haunting me for years. Finally, it got fed up and sunk it's teeth in my fat ass, making me scream like a little girl. ...Damned thing probably has rabies. I'm not 100% sure where this story is going. *pelted with bricks* Ouch. That hurt, darn it! *shakes fist* …Anyway, I hope you read and enjoy this. And please, please, please, take a minute of your time to review. It encourages me to write, and lets me know how people like this. It would benefit all~ :3 Also, forgive any sucky-ness that may occur. I iz n00b. XD Also, I have no idea who to pair with Sora right now. D:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, Sora wouldn't be a midget, Zack would be in all KH games, and Leon would be called Squall. Seeing as these things aren't happening, then no, I don't own crap.

I gave this fic an overall rating of T. Not all chapters are graphic and would give children nightmares. But there will be language and some strong violence. But no lemons. Trust me, that's a good thing, because if I did and you ever heard the word lemon again, you'd either laugh, cry, or sit in a corner in a fetal position and rock back and forth, begging for it all to end. D: BUT there will be some crude humor. Although maybe I'll change the rating to M.

And now…. TALLYHO!!!!! *poses* D

Squall: ………….. *facepalm*

* * *

~|Prologue|~

_

* * *

_

_I can tell  
__I can tell how much you hate this  
__And deep down inside  
__You know it's killing me  
__I can call  
__Wish you well  
__And try to change this  
__But nothing I can say  
__Would change anything_

_Where were my senses?  
__I left them all behind  
__Why did I turn away?  
__Away_

_I wish I could save you  
__I wish I could say to you  
__I'm not going nowhere  
__I wish I could say to you_

_It's gonna be alright  
__It's gonna be alright_

_~Kelly Clarkson "Save You"_

* * *

"_**Keyblade Master…"**_

_Sora opened his eyes and gasped. He was floating in darkness. There was no light, no floor, walls, or ceiling. Just darkness._

"_**Keyblade Master…"**_

_Sora looked, twisting his neck and body in midair, desperately trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?" His voice echoed all around, doing nothing to ease the boy. _

_The voice chuckled, its echo mixing in with Sora's fading one. __**"Do you not recognize me? I knew you were a bit thick, but to forget all about me? I'm a bit disappointed."**_

_His brow furrowed, Sora clenched his fists and leaned forward as though the voice was coming from in front of him, even though he had no idea where it was. "Who are you?!" he repeated._

"_**But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: you are the one who will open the door."**_

_Sora's eyes widened as the memories flooded back to him. "Wait. You're that voice from before! From my dream a year ago!" He unclenched his fists and straightened. "But I don't understand. Why are you talking to me now? Everything is safe now!" He looked down. "…Right?"_

_He was met with silence._

Sora opened his eyes, the cerulean orbs meeting his ceiling. His chest rose and fell quickly, a sign that he was breathing hard. Heart pounding, he swallowed and sat up before he looked over at the alarm clock on his bedside table, letting out a soft groan when 4: 38 A.M. flashed at him. His gave it his fiercest glare, which would have scared a little kitten at best. Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair, blinking when he felt the soaked strands. He really didn't understand this. His dream wasn't scary, per se. A bit odd, but not scary. Yet here he sat, shaking like a pathetic leaf. He sighed again. Maybe he was a wuss.

Knowing that he wouldn't fall asleep again, he decided to get up and walked into the bathroom. Stripping off his sleep shorts and oversized t-shirt, he turned the shower on and slipped in, closing his eyes in obvious enjoyment as the hot water poured on him.

This had become routine. Not but a few days after Xemnas was defeated and Sora and Riku returned to Destiny Islands, strange dreams had haunted him. He tossed and turned in his sleep before waking up with a jolt, sometimes a scream tearing from his lips. He'd always awake at some ungodly hour, and he'd never remember what the dream had been about, except the one he just had now. This had been going on every night, and he had been home for five months now. He didn't know why, and he didn't tell his friends when they asked if anything was wrong, seeing how tired, distant, and un-Sora-like he seemed sometimes. He didn't want to worry them over nothing, especially since they seemed so happy. They were together again.

Kairi appeared to hop all over the place, her purple-blue eyes seeming to shine with joy as she'd run up between him and Riku and clasp one of their hands in her own. Sometimes she would just hug them out of the blue without an explanation, although the two boys knew that she was so relieved they were safe and home. Riku wasn't nearly as palpable as the redhead, but the contentment in his eyes spoke volumes. Sometimes those aqua-colored eyes of his would dim with guilt and regret, but then Sora and Kairi would give him a warm, reassuring smile, and the light would return.

Turning the knob which gave a squeak, the water stopped and Sora hurriedly grabbed a towel and dried off. He hated the cold, and the longer he was wet, the colder he'd get. Once done, he wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to his room. Tossing his towel on his bed, he stood in front of his floor-length mirror and frowned. Sure, he had a nice tan, and everyone told him he had the most beautiful eyes they had ever seen and that he was so cute. But sheesh! He didn't want to have a cute face and pretty eyes! And he sure as hell didn't want to grow up and look effeminate for the rest of his life. He wanted muscles, dammit! Instead he had these skinny, scrawny stick arms and legs. Why was that? He had fought his butt off for who knows how long. And why was he so damned short? He was fifteen years old and only 5'6"! How was that fair? His father had tried to reassure him that he himself had been short at Sora's age, but then suddenly grew 8 inches when he was seventeen. Of course, Mr. Hikaru had been soused at the time and shared this information with his son right after dancing naked on the kitchen table to 80s rock, and right before passing out and hitting his head on the rim of the porcelain throne, only to be poked at by his son and dragged by the feet to the couch by his wife.

Sora put his hands on his hips as his eyes trailed down his reflection, frown becoming deeper at the sight of his girly waist. His eyes stopped at _it_. At least it wasn't small. Of course, he didn't know if it was big, either. It wasn't a habit of his to look at his male classmates' crotches in the school showers. That would be beyond awkward and disconcerting. And it wasn't like he could walk up to some random guy on the street and say, "Hello, good sir! Would you kindly whip out your cock so I can compare its size to mine?" Sora might _really_ want to be assured he wasn't lacking in that department, but he also _really_ didn't want to end up in the hospital with every bone in his body broken. So he settled with blissful ignorance.

Throwing one last disgusted look at the mirror, he took out a pair of underwear from a drawer and slipped them on before opening the closet, pausing to look at his clothes. He used to wear very, very bright apparel, reminiscent of a clown who got barfed on by a kid who'd eaten a pack of crayons. Now, he clad in black with small bits of red and yellow. When the fairies had made it for him, he didn't put much thought into it, nor while he traveled across the worlds and defeated Organization 13 with the help of his friends. But now as he gazed at the outfit, he felt the metaphorical sensation of being slapped in the face. Or maybe being hit over the head by a two by four.

He shook his head. So what if he wore mostly black? Did he really have nothing better to do than scrutinize himself in front of a mirror and ponder the meaning behind the color of his clothes? Sighing, he jerked on his clothes and sat on the bed, taking a glance on the clock which now said 5:54. He knew his shower had only lasted ten minutes. So did he really spend over a hour thinking? He, Sora? The naïve, grinning, hyperactive Keyblade Master who never before bothered to think? Why was he doing that now, anyway? He had never been the thoughtful type, always going in head-first and keyblade in hand without a real plan in mind. Now here he was, sighing and frowning and analyzing. What had happened to him?

Something was coming, that's what. Something was coming, and it was very bad. It kept him awake and gave him nightmares, it sent chills down his spine, it made food feel dry and like ash in his mouth, it made knots of dread fill his stomach. But why was he getting these feelings? Organization 13 was gone, and soon after they had returned home, King Mickey had sent a letter, asking them for help to fight Maleficent. It only took a couple of days to plan a strategy and defeat her. So Maleficent was no more. What trouble could there be?

Shaking his head, Sora got up and walked out of his room, making sure not to step on the creaky parts of the floor as he walked down the hall. He didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, let alone curious and concerned parents. Closing the front door gently, he made his way quickly down the couple of steps before reaching the cobblestone street. It was still rather early so Sora didn't see anyone about, something the keyblade-wielding teenager was relieved about. That was very unlike Sora. But he was tired, and he knew dark circles were under his eyes. Maybe if he got to the small island, he could take a rest and not appear so wiped out. He didn't want to worry his friends more than they already were.

Sora pushed his small boat into the water before climbing in and sitting down. Taking the oars, he used the wooden paddles to move the boat towards his destination. A determined look took over his face. He was the Keyblade Master. He was supposed to protect his friends and the worlds from evil. He was supposed to be a hero and fight alongside his childhood friend and keep his princess safe. There was no room for uncertainty or weakness.

Finally he reached the dock, but it seemed that his luck had run out. Who knew that he could find a time when her voice made him wince?

"Sora!"

The Keyblade Master grinned in his goofy way at Kairi as he climbed out of his boat. "Hey, Kai! Riku! What are you guys doing here so early?"

The redheaded girl giggled. "It's not that early! It's nearly 10!"

_'Okay. I've spent roughly four hours just thinking this morning. …I'm beginning to freak myself out.'_ Sora scratched the back of his neck, grin still there. "Heh, didn't get up as early as I thought, huh?" He looked over Kairi's shoulder at Riku, his stomach dropping when he gathered from his best friend's aqua eyes that he was on to him, and would sooner or later today commence the interrogation. This didn't come as a surprise to Sora; Riku had always been the most observant of the trio. But that didn't mean that Sora didn't hope that Riku would have a stupid moment and not notice anything. …Sora didn't like it when his hopes were dashed.

The brunet returned his attention to his female companion. "So ready to have some fun?"

It was actually a great day. Sora loved being with Riku and Kairi. It made him remember the old days, when they were children. Nothing ever seemed complicated back then. He often remembered that Riku would play the villain, he'd play the hero, and Kairi would play the princess whom Sora rescued. Riku probably wanted to play the hero, but he was content with being the villain, probably because before Kairi had come to the islands Sora made him be the princess. According to Sora, it was because Riku had longer hair.

Now looking between his friends, he could tell they were happy and satisfied. It made him slightly sad. He could help but feel like a gap was slowly starting to come between him and them. It was so strange. Just months ago as they were fighting Organization 13, all Sora wanted was to find Riku and go home. Once that had happened, he had felt a great happiness, but that all too soon turned into an emptiness and restlessness that filled him. He no longer felt like he belonged here, like he was some spirit haunting where he had dwelled when he was still living. Maybe because he had changed and Destiny Islands hadn't, or maybe it was the opposite. Sora had shaken it off at the time, thinking that Riku probably felt the same and the feeling of not belonging would pass. But Riku didn't seemed bothered at all, and that feeling refused to go away.

When the letter arrived and Sora, Kairi, and Riku made their way to Radiant Garden to fight Maleficent, Pete, and her hordes of Heartless, he felt whole, alive. And once it was over, that deadness crept back in. He couldn't bring himself to tell anyone, he was far too ashamed. He was the Keyblade Master, he was supposed to bring harmony and stand for peace. How could he when he felt so good when he was fighting? The words that King Triton had told him when he came to Atlantica constantly rang in his head. _"The key bearer shatters peace and brings ruin."_ That couldn't be true, it just couldn't! And yet Sora had to think that there was some truth to those words.

Eventually, they walked up the stairs of the little hut and across the bridge to the islet with the crooked palm tree. Around sunset, Kairi waved goodbye and left for home. Sora waved back from his seat, which was the crooked papou tree, his cerulean eyes locked on her retreating form, very aware of how beautiful the girl was, and how the setting sun made her red hair shine. He used to have a huge crush on her, spawned the very moment he first laid eyes on her. He used to spend every moment being very close to her, would touch her hand, arm, or hair as often as he could get by with it, and would try his hardest to be the one she paid the most attention to, getting upset if he thought she was spending too much time with another boy. But now he wasn't clamoring for her attention, but watching from afar, admiring her looks, mind, and especially her pure heart. Now he didn't mind at all if Wakka made her laugh or Tidus said something that made her blush. Now he wasn't sure whether he loved her, or if it was just platonic affection.

"You're out of it again."

Sora blinked and looked down at Riku, who was leaning against the tree and looking up at him. The silver-haired boy continued. "You haven't been yourself lately. Actually, for a while now."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "I've totally been myself. Who else could I be?" Maybe if he just played dumb…

Riku frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Sora, don't try to act like nothing's wrong. You're not going to get out of talking about this."

Sora leapt off the tree and looked up at Riku. Oh, how he wished he was taller. "I'm not trying to get out of it- Wait. Is that strand of hair _grey_?!" Sora pointed to his friend's silver mane with wide eyes. Riku immediately looked for a very brief second before he sent a glare Sora's way when the brunet laughed. "That wasn't funny at all."

"Yeah, it was!" Sora chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face! You're such a girl!"

"I am not!"

"Well, you definitely look like one, _princess_."

"Have you looked in a mirror lately, _cutie_?"

Sora crossed his arms. Why the hell did he have to look so damned girly?!

"And don't think you made me forget," Riku said sternly, crossing his arms as well.

Sora sighed. He wasn't going to let this go, was he? "Riku, I'm fine."

The other boy shook his head. "No, you're not. You're distant. You don't laugh or smile like you did before. You sit and just stare off into the sky. You're distant. You don't talk with me or Kairi or anyone anymore."

"What do you mean? I talk a lot!"

"No, you don't. You say things, but they don't mean anything. You don't really _talk_ to us. Not like you used to." The last sentence held a hint of sadness, and Sora felt a twinge of guilt. Riku let his arms drop to his side, and his next words were slightly pleading. "Sora, please. I'm your best friend. I know I haven't always been a good one in the past," his aqua eyes dimmed for a second, "but I want to know that you're okay."

Sora sighed. "It's just that-"

"Sora! Riku!"

Both boys turned to see a distressed Kairi standing on the bridge. They ran towards her and as they neared, she pointed to the beach. Upon the sand was a large black area of darkness. An opening formed, making a hole, and a huge black claw grasped onto the edge. A moment later, using it's claw to hoist itself onto the ground was a Heartless. It was huge, the black creature hunched over like a beast. It's claws were over a foot long, it's teeth razor sharp. Letting out a deafening roar, saliva flying from it's mouth, it raised it's claw at the bridge. Quick as lightning, the claw stretched and pierced the wood, the trio just barely managing to jump off before the bridge splintered into bits. The group of friends stood up quickly and Sora and Riku summoned their keyblades, getting into fighting stances.

Sora gazed at the Heartless, a feeling of anticipation blooming within him. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins at an incredible rate, his blood was pounding in his ears, his heart gave excited thumps against his chest like the drums of war. His eyes were gleaming and filled with a ferocious light.

Sora was alive once more.

He rushed into battle, Riku not far behind. They dodged the Heartless's attacks, diving it and striking at the black flesh. They swung their keyblades, moved aside when it's stretching claw reached for them, used potions when getting wounded. Everything was moving almost too fast for Kairi to see. She saw the Heartless, and flashes of silver and brown which were Riku and Sora's hair. Finally, the Heartless seemed to be on it's last legs. Sora had his back to the black hole from where the enemy had appeared, the Heartless was in front of him, with Riku behind it. Together, they were assailing it from both sides.

Sora readied himself. Just one more blow from his keyblade and it would be over. A wonderful feeling of triumph filled him. Sora's cerulean eyes locked onto the Heartless's glowing yellow ones. This Heartless had probably brought pain to so many people. It was evil. A killing machine. It fought without mercy, not caring as long as his opponent was beaten, like- _'Like me.'_ The feeling of triumph left him, leaving in its place a cold nothingness. All the sounds seemed far away, and the only thing that was real was the numbness. Nothing seemed to matter but him and this creature of darkness as a realization hit the key bearer. Was he really anything different? Was he really any different from a…monster? Was he any better? He always thought that he had done the right thing by following his heart. But what if his heart had been wrong? _'Riku... Kairi... I'm sorry...'_ His eyes widened only a fraction as he felt an intense pain in his chest, and heard unintelligible screams in the background. Slowly, he looked down, seeing that the Heartless's claw was currently plunged into his chest. Blood spilled down onto the darkness he was standing on, spreading out an alarming ways and dripping down into the dark hole within the pool of darkness.

While Kairi screamed Sora's name, Riku ran forward and jumped high in the air, keybade raised high. He thrust his sword up to the hilt in the creature's back, tearing down it as it shrieked. Once he was close to the ground, he leapt away. The Heartless fell to it's knees and began to fade away.

Without the claw to plug the wound and hold him up, blood poured freely from the Keyblade Master's front and back. Everything suddenly seemed to slow down as Sora fell backwards. Riku yelled his name as he ran forward, determined to catch Sora in time. His hand missed the other boy's by mere inches, and Riku watched with horror as Sora fell into the darkness. A moment later, the hole disappeared and the pool of darkness was gone.

Tears cascaded down Kairi's face as she wept at the loss of her friend, a pain gnashing at her heart. Riku stood, staring down at the ground completely stunned. All strength leaving him, he dropped to his knees and kneeled over, hands gripping the sand which ran out between his fingers.

"SORA!"

* * *

Well, there's the prologue. I hope it didn't suck. XD

And by the way, who do you think Sora should be paired with? Kairi? Riku? Some other KH or Final Fantasy character? I would take all into consideration. Please say in a review.

And speaking of reviews, please leave one. That would make my week~


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I am so happy I got positive reviews~ It really did make my day~ Thank you for reviewing, and I'm glad you guys liked the prologue! :D I have to admit, I'm leaning towards pairing Sora with Riku~ Oh, and I'm bringing in an FF charry who hasn't made an appearance in KH yet. Can you guys guess who it is? This chapter sadly isn't as long as the last one, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. And feel free to review. *hinthint*

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything...*openly weeps*

* * *

~|Chapter One|~

~|Homecoming|~

_

* * *

_

_Well I know it's been years now  
__And I don't look the same  
__And the hopes and dreams you had for me  
__You thought went down the drain_

_And the room feels so empty  
__Where my pictures used to be  
__And I can't say that I blame you  
__But you can't blame me._

_~ Bowling for Soup "When We Die"_

* * *

The train rattled noisily, almost obnoxiously as it made its way along the track. The train had been going all day it seemed to the little girl sitting beside her mother on one of the leather seats. Of course, since the train was traveling through space, it was difficult to tell night from day unless you had a watch on hand. Her mother was reading a newspaper while the little girl was reading a book, and neither really noticed when the train stopped for a minute before starting again, followed by the sound of unhurried steps, more specifically like boots on the highly polished floor.

Eventually though, the little girl got rather bored with her book and decided to look around. Her eyes widened when she saw the tanned and almost scary-looking man sitting right across from her. The pigtailed girl had never seen anyone like him before. He wore so much black. Baggy black pants which were tucked into black army boots, black belts strapped on at odd angles on his waist, and black fingerless gloves. He wore a long, black trench coat with silver shoulder guards, and one of his ears had a silver stud in it. But what captured most of her attention were the black eye patch and the long scar that started on the left side of his forehead and trailed down between his eyes and stopped at his right cheek. His right eye (the one that wasn't covered) was a bright blue and was currently directed at the floor.

She gaped at him unabashedly and let out a little gasp when the blue orb moved up and locked with her two. She quickly looked down, her little fingers picking at the red leather upon which she sat. After a few moments, her curiosity proved to be too much and she glanced up through her lashes to take a peek. His lips were curved in the slightest of smiles, although no expression entered his eye. He winked at her, and she grinned back. She decided he wasn't so scary after all. "Hello, mister!" she chirped at him.

"Hello," he said back. This exchange suddenly alerted the woman that her daughter was talking to someone. She peered over the top of her newspaper and her mouth turned down a little at the corners as she took in the man's appearance. What was he? A thief? A kidnapper? A gangster? She really didn't want her daughter talking to him, but she couldn't outright tell her not to. He was close enough that he would hear, and what if he had anger issues? He was lean, not bulky, but still he was muscular all the same and much taller than she was. So she settled on staying quiet.

If the man was aware of the woman's blatant disapproval, he didn't show it. Instead, he reached into one of his pant's pockets and tossed an object to the little girl, who caught it with only minor difficulty. Her eyes widened as she looked at the little blue crystal in her hand. "It's beautiful…" she breathed.

"We're passing through a nebula," he said. "Hold it up to the window."

She did as he told her, and she seemed unable to speak as the light shined through the crystal. "You like it? You can keep it," he told her.

She brought her hand down and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you very much!" She tilted her head. "Where'd you get it?"

The man took a few moments to answer, as though pulling out a half forgotten memory. "…A friend gave it to me a long time ago."

"Really? And you're giving it to me?"

He nodded and she beamed as she carefully put the gift in a pocket of her dress. "Are you travelling alone?" she asked curiously. This man was very interesting and nice, and he felt approachable.

"I was supposed to be journeying with a friend because we have to…eradicate…a certain problem, but he was called to handle some…business."

The color drained out of the woman's face and she was gripping the newspaper so tight her knuckles turned white and the paper crinkled. Oh, dear lord. Her daughter was having a civil conversation with a hitman.

The little girl blinked. "Ohhh. Okay. Are you going home, then?"

A distant look filled his eye. "…Home…?" The word was spoken distractedly. He then leaned back in his seat as he stared blankly at nothing, lost in his memories.

The little girl stared at him for a minute before stating, "My name is Noir. What's yours?"

The man snapped out of it and returned his attention to Noir. "My name? My name is…"

* * *

Kairi hated onions, a fact that she stated firmly time and time again in her mind as she chopped the accursed vegetable. But they were needed for Aerith's recipe, and she'd be damned if she let an _onion_ of all things win. She had been busy all day, hardly stopping for barely a minute, occupying her mind to its full capacity lest she remember _him_.

Almost like a subconscious reflex, her purple-blue eyes darted up to take a look at the calendar. It was hard to believe that it had been on this very day exactly seven years ago that she lost one of her dearest friends forever. It seemed like only yesterday that Sora died. Yes, the Keyblade Master was dead. She and Riku hoped with all their might, holding on to the slim chance that he was alive. However, they travelled through all the worlds, and he was nowhere to be found. According to both Merlin and Yen Sid, the Keyblade Master's presence was gone, meaning that he was no more.

Kairi had cried for days on end, her heart overwhelmed by immense grief. Riku had locked himself in his room and didn't come out for two weeks. It was so unbelievably absurd. Sora was the hero, and everyone knows heroes aren't supposed to die. And salt was added to the wound when they found out that the Heartless that had attacked was a random one. Sora had been killed due to a freak incident.

Neither Riku nor Kairi could forget Sora. His laugh, his goofy smile, his never ending energy, his endless optimism was recalled clearly. It'd probably be like that for the trio-turned-duo for the rest of their lives. Kairi was no longer as bubbly as she used to be, and Riku had become quiet and withdrawn. They had both fed off of Sora's happiness and light, and with him gone, a piece of them vanished.

The redhead wiped her eyes with her forearm as she continued slicing as she remembered. Three months after Sora's death, she and Riku had been sitting together, watching the sunset. Riku had turned to Kairi and looked at her with hollow eyes, telling her that he couldn't live here anymore. They both decided to move to Radiant Garden, a place which Sora had loved to visit. They lived in Leon, Aerith, and Cid's house, Cloud, Yuffie, and Tifa's being too small. Kairi spent her days mostly cleaning and cooking with Aerith, whereas Riku helped Leon and Cid repair the town, the reconstruction almost complete after seven years.

It was a peaceful life, with only a few Heartless showing up through the years. Still, Kairi had Riku help her train with her keyblade. She never wanted to stand on the sidelines again. Fortunately for her, she proved to be pretty good. Still, if only they could go back in time…

"Are you crying?"

Kairi jumped and whipped around, coming face to face with a certain ninja. "Don't scare me like that, Yuffie!"

The dark-haired ninja laughed, dark eyes full of mirth. "You should've seen your face! You were so scared!"

Kairi rolled her eyes, lips twitching slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure I was hysterical. And aren't you supposed to be helping out Leon?"

Humor leaving her face, Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "I was. But he told me to go away. He said I was being a nuisance! Can you believe that?!" she asked indignantly.

Kairi attempted a weak smile as she returned to cutting up the onions. About at that time, the door opened and Aerith walked in, a basket filled with wild herbs in one hand. The flower girl looked from Yuffie to Kairi, quickly putting two and two together. "Yuffie, why don't you help Cid with his gummi ship while Kairi helps me cook?"

Yuffie groaned. "But the old man is so grumpy! Fine, alright, I know when I'm not wanted." With that she skipped out the door to find her next target. "OOOOLLLLD MAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!"

Aerith smiled softly at Yuffie's retreating form before she walked into the open kitchen and set the shallow basket on the marble topped island. Taking a few herbs, she stood beside the younger woman as she started washing the greens. "Thinking about Sora again?" she asked gently.

"Is it that obvious?" Kairi sighed. "I just…can't stop remembering, especially on the day he died. I know it's been years, but it still hurts."

Aerith starting breaking the herbs into smaller pieces. "You, Riku, and Sora shared a special and unique bond. I know about all you and your friends have been through, and all of those times, both good and bad, tied the three of you closer together, your lives like threads becoming forever intertwined."

Kairi put the onions in a bowl and moved on to tomatoes. "But what if one is gone and the other two are frayed?"

"Things that are broken and worn can always be fixed," Aerith said with a slight and sure smile. "And have you forgotten? All of our hearts are connected. Neither Distance nor death can sever that."

Kairi bit her bottom lip and glanced at her. "…Have you lost a good friend?"

Aerith's smile became bittersweet. "Yes, many years ago. His name was Zack Fair, and he was one of the kindest and bravest men you'd ever meet. He'd remind you of Sora in a way. He was my dearest friend, and he and Cloud were best friends, some say more."

Kairi's eyes widened. "Were they?" She honestly could not imagine the aloof and standoffish man in a relationship, let alone with another man. Aerith's smile changed once again, this time to a secretive one, and Kairi wondered how many smiles she could go through in a matter of minutes.

"What…happened to him?" the redhead hesitantly asked.

A flash of pain passed over the older woman's face. "He and Cloud were captured and experimented on for a number of years. Finally, Zack took Cloud and escaped, but they were found and Zack was shot to death, trying to protect Cloud. Cloud was with him when he died, and it…scarred him badly. He didn't laugh or smile or was even ever truly happy after that. It was as if when Zack died, most of Cloud died with him."

Kairi's heart ached when Aerith finished the story. "That's so sad. I'm…sorry."

Aerith shook her head and gave Kairi a smile. "Don't be, he wouldn't want us to be sad. Zack died protecting his best friend, he died a hero. I'm sure Sora wouldn't want you to be so sad, either." Kairi smiled a little back before returning to work.

"Dinner should be ready soon," Aerith noted. "I can finish up on my own. Why don't you go find Riku?"

The younger woman nodded and wiped her hands before heading out.

* * *

Her footsteps echoed on the stone floor, her high heeled boots making an audible _click_ and her white robes billowed behind her as she walked swiftly down the corridor. Her eyes, flashing with annoyance, stared straight ahead, her lips pursed in a thin line as she made her way deeper into the dungeon, rats scurrying away from the lit torch she held in her right hand. Finally, she stopped in front of a huge double door, 30 feet high and 30 feet wide. A lock with chains strewn all over the thick wooden surface denied entry, but it wouldn't for long. Her left hand fishing in her pocket, she pulled out an old, rusted key and fit it into lock, and a moment after turning it she quickly pulled it out and moved back, the torch's flame flickering. The lock and heavy chains fell to the floor, making a racket before fading away. She stepped forward and easily pushed open one side, ignoring the loud creak that followed. Setting the torch aside, she raised her hand in the pitch black room, muttering dully "Firaga." The fireball flew through the air into a gigantic orb, acting like a lantern as it shone its golden light.

Her lips curved into a malicious smirk as her eyes beheld the titanic chained beast which laid in slumber. It let out a growl in its throat, signaling that it had awoken, opening an eye and staring at the intruder with a large yellow orb.

"Aww… You want freedom?" she cooed. A bit of lightning formed in her hand and she threw it, cutting through the chains attached at the wall like butter before coming back around. She caught it easily and formed her hand in a fist, making the lightning disappear. Stepping aside, she pointed to the door. "Then go!"

* * *

Seven years ago after Maleficent was defeated, the paths between the worlds became much safer, with only a handful of Heartless attacks. Soon enough, people got the idea of using trains to trek from world to world, making travelling more friendly for civilians or people with no idea how to use a gummi ship. Usually, a trained fighter was requested to ride, just in case the train came across a Heartless. However, since it was so peaceful, it was almost pointless.

Leon had been pleased by the idea of trains full of people coming. True, it was a (bad, in some people's opinion) habit of the Ice Prince's to avoid contact with anything remotely human like the plague unless he really, really had to. But people were always interested in other worlds, which meant they'd spend money, and even some merchants came to Radiant Garden. So, a person with money plus new materials was very good for the world currently in reconstruction, which made Leon pleased.

Right now, he was leaning against a stone wall with his arms crossed, stony face intently watching the people spilling out of the train and successfully making a few of them quite uncomfortable, a talent of his that he was secretly proud of. Oh yes, fear the Ice Prince. Fear him you pathetic bastards.

…Maybe he had been spending too much time with Yuffie and Cid.

Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw one of the passengers in the crowd clad in black and wearing an eye patch and a scar on his face just staring at him. The strange man gave Leon a slight smile, and when the former Commander of Balamb Garden blinked, the man was gone. Leon frowned a bit. Strange…

* * *

For the life of him, Riku had no idea why the sky was so blue today, or why there were so few clouds, or why so many flowers were in bloom. On every other anniversary of Sora's death, there had always a storm of some sort. In fact, it rained without stop for fifteen days after he died, one day for every year he lived. For the weather to be so good on this day almost seemed mocking, and it frankly pissed Riku off.

He had spent most of the day in solitude in the Crystal Fissure, wandering the corridors of his mind. He didn't really care what was going on, he mostly felt numb, like always. He never felt alive anymore. He barely acknowledged Tifa when she came by and told him that more people had arrived via the train. Although, not too long after that, Riku got the feeling of being watched, and when he quickly turned around, he caught a glimpse of an edge of a black article of clothing. He had run, trying to see who it had been, but it seemed like good fortune wasn't on his side today. Hours later, he still had no idea who it had been. Not that he really cared.

One thing that ceaselessly haunted him, that plagued him with guilt and what ifs, was what had been with Sora? Something had been troubling the Keyblade Master and Riku knew it. He had known something was up, months before 'that day', but had kept his thoughts to himself, figuring that if Sora wanted to talk about it, he would. Sora didn't, and Riku wrote the whole situation off as adjusting to their old life. Still, it bothered and worried the older boy until he just asked Sora. But before the younger could say what was wrong, that damn Heartless appeared and took his best friend's life. And now it was too late.

When Riku had given in to the darkness, Sora had forgiven him. The Keyblade Master had even searched the worlds for him, not losing the trust he had placed in him. That was just the kind of person Sora had been. Trusting, hyper, painfully naïve, and blindingly optimistic. He had been the epitome of light, and was gone, the light blown out like the flame of a candle. It just wasn't fair.

"Riku?"

Snapping back to reality, the silver-haired man turned around, seeing Kairi approaching him. He sighed. He just really wanted to be left alone today. "What is i-"

Riku cut himself off when he heard a loud roar coming from the maw.

Kairi's eyes widened. "A Heartless?"

Riku nodded. "Most likely." He summoned his keyblade and Kairi summoned hers as they ran towards the source of the sound. They came to the Great Maw, looking around and trying to find the Heartless. Riku looked up before informing Kairi. "Look! In the sky!" Kairi looked up and gasped at the sight of an enormous black creature with gargantuan bat-like wings. It looked like a Behemoth, but all black and twice as big, and of course plus the wings. It landed, making the ground tremble violently.

The two keyblade wielders rushed forward into battle, striking at every weak point the Heartless showed while avoiding the lightning it used to attack. Yet no matter how hard they fought, they didn't make any progress at all. Their keyblades didn't even damage the skin. While Riku was striking the beast's side, he heard a scream and looked to see Kairi getting hit by lightning before getting thrown back several feet. Her back hit cliff and she slumped down with a groan. Distracted, Riku didn't even see one of the Heartless's wings move, suddenly finding himself sailing through the air and painfully landing not far from his friend.

The Heartless flapped it's large wings, waves of dust rising from the ground. It hovered about nine feet and headed towards the duo, it's roar echoing off the cliffs. All of a sudden, a figure appeared several yards ahead of Kairi and Riku, and just in front of the creature. He simply raised his sword and held it up with one hand as the Heartless flew past, cutting down it's belly. The beast let out loud shrieks of pain as it fell down onto it's side and vanished into nothing.

Riku rose to his feet, followed by Kairi, both wondering just who this stranger was. Finally, the dust gradually settled allowing them a better look. The stranger had his back to them, his spiky brown hair and long black trench coat billowing in the wind. Both Riku and Kairi's eyes widened when they saw his sword. Not only was it a keyblade, but the Oathkeeper. How? How did this man obtain that?

"It's been awhile," the stranger remarked in a voice both smooth and gruff, only moving his head slightly to look a little over his left shoulder. All the two friends could see was an eye patch covering his left eye. The man turned his head back and looked up. "That creature was different from anything you've faced, that's why it proved difficult for you to defeat it."

"Thank you…for helping us," Kairi said softly. However, Riku narrowed his eyes, aqua orbs hard. "Why are you using that keyblade?" His tone was harsh and accusing.

Kairi and Riku could see that the tall man tilted his face a little to look at the keyblade in his right hand. He didn't answer right away, but when he did it was strange. "Heh. I guess seeing you guys brought back memories of the old days."

"How do you know us? Who are you?!" Riku demanded. Who was this creep? What did he want? Why the hell was he using Sora's keyblade?!

"You don't remember me?" he questioned. "Things have changed it seems. But you still look like a girl, _princess_." He finally fully turned around, revealing his scarred face.

It took two seconds before both Riku and Kairi gasped. It couldn't be, could it? He _died_. And yet, and yet… Kairi took a small step forward, face pale and trembling all over. "S-Sora?"

Sora slightly smiled as he looked at them with his cerulean eye. "Live and in color."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you guys so much for the lovely reviews! They made me so, so happy! Sadly, this chapter in even shorter than the last. D: But I hope it will do. It's 'hot of the press', so please forgive any mistakes. I'll fix them later. I've also pretty much made up my mind that this will be Sora/Riku. Also, that FF charry I said would make an appearance? His identity is known in this chapter. Hope you enjoy~

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

~|Chapter Two|~

~|Dead Man Walking|~

* * *

_And no matter how hard I try  
I can't escape these things inside  
I know, I know  
But all the pieces fall apart  
You will be the only one who knows  
Who knows_

_You love me but you don't know who I am  
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand  
And you love me but you don't know who I am  
So let me go  
Just let me go_

_~ 3 Doors Down "Let Me Go"_

* * *

None of them moved, Sora because he wasn't sure if it was a good idea, and Riku and Kairi because they were in shock. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind and the slight flapping of their clothes. The sun was sinking, the bright orb hanging low in the sky and casting everything in a golden and reddish light.

It was the Seventh Princess of Heart that finally broke the silence. "It-it really is you…" Tears started to slide down her cheeks. "I can't believe it… You're a-alive!" Suddenly, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around the black-clad warrior, burying her face in his chest. Sora tensed, wincing ever-so-slightly, and then made Oathkeeper disappear and slowly embraced her tightly, ignoring the intense pain. '_So even one of my old best friends burn me_,' he thought with a passing of melancholy.

Kairi sniffed and pulled back a little, staring up at Sora with eyes that shone with both tears and joy. "You're back… You came back to us…" Her eyes scanned his face and body, drinking in every detail. He had certainly grown up from the boy she remembered. Through his clothes, the soft and almost bony body was now hard with muscles; lean, but definitely not bony anymore. His skin, which was a little tan before, had darkened a shade or two. His face had lost its round youthfulness, replaced with a sharper and sturdier structure. Full, pouty lips had thinned, and eyes that had been big and full of childlike innocence were now hardened and carefully guarded. Well, his visible eye, anyway.

Her expression saddened as she gazed at his scar and eye patch. Cautiously, she began to reach up to lightly touch it. Before she could, he tilted his head back, an unspoken request to not touch it. He didn't think he could hide the pain it would cause.

Still studying the offending attributes that marred his face, she let her hand fall to her side. "How did you get…those?"

Oh, he really didn't want to explain that. Ever. Let alone now. "Well… I…" He glanced around, trying to find words when his eye locked on Riku, who hadn't moved. Kairi noticed where Sora was looking and back up, moving to the side, her eyes moving back and forth between her friends.

"Riku…" Sora said softly.

Riku was standing still, his hands clenched at his sides and his body trembling, looking down, his eyes hidden by his silver bangs. "No. No, this isn't happening…" his voice was shaky and hardly louder than a whisper. "You're not here. You're not real…" He wrapped his arms around himself, shaking his head and moving slowly backwards. "I'm just seeing things… You died. You're dead. You can't be alive… You can't! You can't, you can't, you can't-!" He stopped talking with a gasp when he sensed more than heard Sora come nearer.

Once the Keyblade Master was close enough, he offered another slight smile. Almost absentmindedly, he noticed he was as tall or taller than Riku now. Huh. Raising his arm, he cupped Riku's downturned face, feeling the smooth skin under his calloused fingertips and burning hand. "I'm real, see? I can feel you, and you can feel me. I'm real."

Riku slammed a fist into the side of Sora's face, making the younger's head turn and Kairi to gasp. The slight smile was still on Sora's face. "I suppose I deserved that," he mused. Then he was struck again in his chest. "You bastard!" The silver haired man began to use both fists to punch and strike at the no longer smiling Sora, who did nothing to block or dodge, letting Riku vent. "You bastard! You were alive! What the hell were you thinking?! I looked everywhere for you!" Sora closed his eyes for a moment as a memory of a younger Sora falling to his knees and saying the same thing to a younger Riku surfaced. This Riku continued. "We looked and we couldn't find you! They said you were dead! Why?! Why didn't you come back until now?! _You bastard!_ Why didn't you _come back_?!"

Abruptly, Sora stopped Riku's hitting by grabbing each hand by the wrist, holding them still as his hands were burned again. Unreadable cerulean met angry, hurt, and betrayed aqua before looking away. Sora never could look someone in the eye for long anymore…

He finally felt Riku's tense muscles ease. His shoulders drooped as he once again looked down to be shielded by silver strands. Sora then let go, and the elder man let him arms hang limply at his sides. Feeling a strong desire to fix this somehow, coupled with a wave of remorse, Sora tentatively wrapped his arms around his old friend, paying no mind to what it cost him. Riku felt thinner, and he had never lost it like that before, but he was still the person he grew up with. Holding him tightly, feeling the other's heart beat against his chest, he buried his face into silver silk as he felt Riku bury his own into the younger man's shoulder.

One of Sora's arms was around Riku's waist, and he used the other to gently rub circles on his back. The Keyblade Master then murmured, "I sorry, Riku. I'm sorry to both of you, to everyone. What I did was unforgivable. I should have been here, but I wasn't. I'm so sorry."

Eventually, Riku pulled back, and after looking at each other for a few moments, Riku breaking the silence. "You look different, but you're still an idiot."

Relieved, Sora smiled slightly, eye remaining strangely blank. "Yep! You know the saying. Old habits die hard."

"People, too, it seems," Riku said softly.

Hearing Kairi walking over, Sora pulled back. Keeping one arm around Riku's waist, he wrapped the other around Kairi's slim one. Looking from one to the other, he noticed that they had aged, too. Kairi's red hair was down to her mid-back and was wearing a white with pink ribbon tank top, along with tight black shorts almost covered by a black with pink trim skirt with slits in the side. Riku had on slightly loose black leather pants and a long-sleeved yellow shirt with a blue sleeve-less jacket. Taking a more in-depth look at their faces, it really made Sora wonder about what they went through and how they had spent the last seven years, a small ache stinging his heart before being replaced by warmth, followed by determination. He would fix this. He would glue the pieces back together, no matter what. "So, how is everyone?" he asked as they started walking.

* * *

"I told you!" screeched the woman, white robes whipping violently as she stalked back and forth, anger contorting her face and her hands formed into tight fist. "I told you it wouldn't work! I told you that monster wasn't strong enough! I told you he would show up!" She turned to face the man leaning against the wall near the colored glass window and jabbed her finger at him. "But did you listen to me?! No!"

The man returned her incensed look with a bored one of his own. "Would you calm down? It wasn't a big deal or anything," he drawled.

"Calm down?! How can I calm down when you act like he doesn't matter?!"

"Heh. Well you act like he's the only thing that matters and he's not."

Frustrated, she raked her hand through her blonde hair. "But he has to be defeated before we can progress!"

"Hmph. I don't why we have to wait until he kicks the bucket before we get anywhere. I'm outta here," he muttered as he opened the door and started to walk out.

"Xerxes! Don't you dare walk out one me when I'm talking to you! Xerxes!" she shrieked as the door slammed shut. Letting out a growl, she jerked her head and looked at a pedestal in the center of the room, and which an image played above it. An image of a certain Keyblade Master. She glared as she walked towards it. "I'll get you. I'll have my revenge, even if it kills me! You will pay for this! You _murderer_! You will _pay_!" She slashed her hand through the image causing it to flicker dangerously.

* * *

"Shouldn't they have been back by now?" Tifa questioned, looking around at the people in the room as she pulled the bread out of the oven. Aerith was putting the last finishing touches to the salad, Leon, having finished setting the table, was leaning with his back against the counter, Cid was sitting down on the couch, and Yuffie was trying to and successfully annoying the pilot by attempted to steal the cigarette that he was currently smoking.

"Don't worry," Aerith said reassuringly as she added the dressing. "They'll be fine and probably here any minute."

Tifa nodded, looking thoughtful. "Do you think they're getting better? With Sora being dead and all, I mean?"

Aerith sighed quietly. "It can take a long time for wounds to heal. Some scars never go away. Sometimes, all one can do is wait for them to fade."

"They're strong," Leon muttered. "Not to mention have been through a lot. More at fourteen and fifteen than we faced at that age, anyway. They'll cope."

"Yes," Aerith agreed. "We all miss him, I think. To see him grow from boy to man would have certainly been something."

Yuffie turned her attention away from Cid and nodded, hands on her hips. "Yeah, he was a great kid." Of course, she didn't think about the fact he was only a few years younger than her. "I miss him a lot. Not to mention I was looking forward to all the yaoi material I was close to getting."

"Yaoi?" Leon questioned. "Don't be stupid, Sora was straight."

"Straight? Kid was a queer as a monkey ridin' a unicorn!"

All blinked at Cid's opinion as Tifa added her two cents. "Nah. He was just sensitive."

"Oh, c'mon!" This came from Yuffie. "Don't you remember? He kept on and on asking us if we'd seen Riku! Bet he had the hots for him!"

"Or maybe he was just a dedicated friend," Leon pointed out, really passionate it, as insinuated by his next words. "And I don't know how many times I caught him staring at Tifa's breasts!" Tifa squeaked as Cid snorted.

"Like that amounts teh anythin'," the pilot said. "Everybody has gawked at her boobs. They're like fuckin' airship missiles stabbin' yeh in the eye! Anybody'd look! If he was really interested, he'd be checkin' out her hips an' ass!"

"I think he's bisexual," Aerith quietly inserted. Everyone just stared at her a moment before denying it.

"Bet you one hundred munny he had it going for Riku!" Yuffie yelled.

A red-faced Tifa went for it. "I take your bet and say he was straight!"

"I bet he was bi," Aerith said, surprising everyone that she'd bet.

"Ain't no bi about it, I say he was meadow-frolickin' gay!" Cid grumbled counting his munny to check if he even had a hundred.

"Straight," Leon claimed confidently.

Aerith looked up at the door, a smile in place and her green eyes sparkling. "Good! You're here, just in time for dinner, too!"

The others, still digging in their wallets, looked to see who the flower girl was talking to. Kairi was staring at the occupants of the room with something akin to bewilderment, Riku was shaking his head with a slight disbelieving look on his face, and the tall black-clad man with an eye patch held no emotion in his visible eye, but his lips were quirked as though faintly amused.

The awkward hush was unsurprisingly broken by Cid. "Who the hell are yeh?" This question was obviously directed at the newcomer.

The newcomer shook his head. "Man, I haven't changed that much, have I? It's me, Sora."

Everybody save Aerith looked at him with intense and narrowed eyes, studying his every feature.

"………"

"………"

"………"

"………"

"………"

"………"

"………"

"Sora?!"

"No way!"

"How is this even possible?!

"HOLY FUCKIN' SHIT!!!!"

* * *

Leon, Cid, and Tifa had assaulted him with questions for quite a while. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Were they seeing things? How'd he change his look so radically? When did he get back? Finally, with Aerith's help, things eventually calmed down and now they were seated at the table eating supper. Well, trying to. It was a bit perplexing to share a meal with a supposed dead man.

It was rather quiet. Hardly a noise was made except for the occasional sound of utensils against plates. It was rather unnerving, and it didn't help actually when Sora pretended nothing was amiss, he remained silent and ignored the fact that everyone was just staring at him and trying to eat at the same time. The only one acting relatively normal was Aerith, which befuddled most of the minds at the table.

Amazingly, Yuffie had not spoken through out the whole ordeal, except for the "No way!" she had blurted out when she realized the intimidating and very calm man with the eye patch and scar was truly cheery, hyper, bright-as-the-freaking-sun Sora. However, she had never been able to shut her trap for that long, even though this had been a new record for her. "But you died," she said blankly.

Riku grip on his fork tightened, Kairi bit her lip, and everyone around the table tensed. However, Sora just looked up from his plate, that slight smile playing on his lips. "Yep!"

Again, silence. Then, "Cool!" exclaimed a grinning Yuffie. Everyone else except Sora shook their head at her.

"But I am curious," Leon murmured. "What happened after you fell into that dark hole?"

Sora sipped his water, taking his time with answering. He had expected this. It would blow over soon, though. He hoped it would, anyway. "I woke up in a strange place. Some friendly people found me and nursed me back to health. I just couldn't find a way back here."

"Aw, c'mon!" Yuffie whined. "Ya gotta give us more than that!"

Sora glanced down, and Aerith remarked how late it was getting. Taking a hint, Tifa stated that she was tired, and almost had to drag Yuffie to get her to go home. Cid excused himself to his room, as did Leon. Aerith insisted on doing the dishes and asked if Sora had any sleeping wear. No? Oh, Riku would lead him some? Good. Goodnight, sleep well!

Standing in the doorway, Sora watched Riku look through the drawers in his, no, now their room for pajamas. Kairi had just given the Keyblade Master one more hug before going to her own room. Finally, Riku tossed him some clothes. "Hope those fit." Riku frowned slightly. "I can't believe you're actually a little taller than me."

"Is the princess pouting?"

"Says the girly boy." But since Sora now lacked said girly-ness, that statement lacked the punch it had in the past. Sora just shook his head before stepping into the bathroom. A few moments later he came out, dressed in blue pajama pants and a long-sleeved yellow shirt. Picking at one of the sleeves, Sora said, "I'm beginning to think you have an affinity for yellow."

"No shit," Riku deadpanned as he began spreading a few sheets on the little couch that was in the bedroom.

Sora blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Making up the couch for me to sleep in," the silver haired man said simply.

"Wait a minute! I'm not throwing you out of your own bed!"

Riku looked at him. "You're not throwing me out, I'm just giving you the bed."

Sora shook his head. "Riku, it's a double bed. We could share."

It was Riku's turn to blink. "What are you waiting for? Get in the bed," he said as he sat down on the bed and slid under the covers, as though it had been his own idea.

Smirking, Sora got under the covers, as well and Riku turned off the light. Both stared up at the ceiling for quite a while. It was more than a bit strange. They had not seen each other for seven years, one even thinking the other dead, and now the two best friends were together again, under the same roof, in the same bed. Strange would be an understatement.

"It's so hard to believe," Riku murmured, voice almost a whisper. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"I'm here now, though. And I don't plan on going anywhere soon."

Riku smiled as sleep claimed him, feeling happy and at peace for the first time in years.

An hour or two had passed, and Sora was still awake. Sparing a glance at his friend, he carefully slipped out of bed and slid open the sliding glass doors and stepping out onto the balcony. He leaned against the railing and looked up at the beautiful stars that twinkled down at him. Suddenly, he felt something vibrate in his pajama pant's pocket and pulled out his phone which he had stuck in there. Glancing back inside at the slumbering form of his friend, he flipped the cell open and quietly said, "Hello?"

"_Yo! Did you make it alright, kiddo?"_ came a man's voice.

Sora's lips curved into that slight smile. "Yes, and in one piece."

"_Wow, a new record! I was sure some kinda monster was going to try and get you. Any difficulties?"_ The voice turned serious.

"Just an Abyss."

"_Dammit. The Alliance caught up to you that quick?"_

"Yeah."

The man sighed. _"Sooo, how did your friends take it?" _

"As you expected. Shocked, but overall pretty well."

"_That's a relief. I hope everything goes alright for ya."_

"Hope so, too. Look, I've got to go. Talk to you later."

"_Uh, wait just a sec. How was he?"_ The voice held anticipation, desperate for anything Sora might tell him.

"He?"

"_You know!"_

Sora's lips curved even more. "He wasn't here."

"_Oh."_ The disappointment was as plain as day. _"Well, g'night, Sor!"_

"Night, Zack." With that, Sora snapped the phone shut and put it back in his pocket before resuming his stargazing. "…I wonder… Are you watching, Aqua?"

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own anything.

A/N: I'm very sorry for the lateness and shortness of this chapter, but at least it's here, right? *brick'd* Anyway, thank you guys very, very much for the reviews! It makes me so very happy~ :D The song was last minute and I couldn't really find the right one for this chappie... XD

* * *

~|Kingdom Hearts 3 - Dirge of the Hearts|~

~|Chapter III|~

~|New Faces|~

* * *

_So where did you see me go  
it's not the right way, you know  
where did you see me go  
No, it's not that I don't know  
I just don't want it to grow  
It's not that I don't know  
I've changed my mind  
I take it back_

Erase and rewind  
'cause I've been changing my mind  
Erase and rewind  
'cause I've been changing my mind  
Erase and rewind  
'cause I've been changing my mind  
Erase and rewind  
'cause I've been changing my mind  
Erase and rewind  
Erase and rewind  
I´ve changed my mind!

_~The Cardigans "Erase and Rewind"_

* * *

Riku opened his eyes, the early morning light that was streaming in through the windows allowing him to clearly see the ceiling. His mind still hazy from sleep, he tried to piece together just what happened last night. There was this strange monster…then this guy showed up and saved their asses…embarrassing, considering both he and Kairi were keyblade wielders… That guy, though…who was he? Black clothes…brown hair…scar…eye patch…cerulean eye- Sora! Sora had come back!

But then his rational side kicked in. Sora _died_. There was absolutely no possible way for him to come back. No one can come back from the dead, not even Sora. He had dreamed of that day…when Sora left their lives…so many times. Asleep or awake, the memory haunted him. Sora suddenly becoming still, the Heartless plunging its black appendage into Sora's chest, him using his keyblade to kill it, Sora's blood flowing freely from his chest…his fingertips just barely missing the other boy's as he fell into darkness…

Riku shut his eyes close tightly, trying to block out the memories. It had haunted his mind every single day, almost every moment, enveloping him in sadness and guilt. If he had just gotten there faster…if he had just managed to grab his hand…maybe if he had cast Curaga…

He was torn away from his dark thoughts when he finally noticed the sound of breathing that did not come from him. Blinking, he sat up on his bed and looked for the source, his heart skipping a beat once he found it. …It was possible after all. Sora did come back.

Said Keyblade Master had already gotten dressed in his black garb and was lounging on the sofa on the other side of the room, speedily flipping through one of Riku's books with disinterest. That's right; Sora had never cared for reading… Whenever he came to visit and Riku was busy with something, he'd just grab a book and flip through it while he waited, never actually reading it…

Sora glanced up at Riku and straightened, closing the book and laying it down beside him on the blue couch. After a moment, Sora greeted him with "Good Morning." Neither said anything after that, just looked at each other in silence.

This had to be the strangest moment in the twenty-two years that Riku had lived. He remembered when he and Sora used to have sleepovers. The silver-haired boy would wake first, and a tangled-up-in-the-sheets-wearing-clouds-and-puppies-pajamas-with-messy-brown-hair-and-drooling Sora would wake up several minutes after. Then they'd immediately lapse into joking and play wrestling before running down the stairs for breakfast, laughing and smiling. Once they had gotten older, things changed a bit, but were still similar. But now…

Now there was this quiet awkwardness. An older, scarred, and more experienced Sora was dressed and sitting calmly across from him, not saying a word after saying good morning, a phrase he used to never bother with. This Sora was quiet; his smile (which he wasn't wearing now) was barely there, a dim shadow compared to his bright and goofy grin. And that eye… It was completely empty of emotion. Even when he used that pathetic excuse for a smile, that eye remained expressionless. It would be disturbing on anyone, let alone on Sora.

Whether it had been seconds or minutes, Riku didn't know. All he knew was that this silence was suffocating and seeing that once full of life eye being blank was too unsettling for him. Just what had happened to Sora in those seven years, anyway? He looked at the clock on the bedside table, a red 7:03 glaring at him. "It's early for you," he murmured, the words tumbling out without thought. "You used to never get up before 10:00, unless it was a school day." '_Just anything to break this unbearable stillness.'_

Sora shrugged. "Don't you remember? I started waking up early back on Destiny Islands."

'_That's right. Whatever put Sora in his current state didn't begin sometime in his absence, it started before that_.' Riku knew that something was wrong back then, and tried more than once to get the brunet to tell him. But however much or hard Riku coaxed, Sora'd just deny anything was wrong and resume hiding what was troubling him. It had annoyed and worried Riku immensely, but although he didn't even admit it to himself, most of all he was hurt that all of a sudden his best friend started wearing a mask and didn't even take it off for him. But that day, right before that damned Heartless had shown up, Sora had been close to telling him, only to 'die' before he could say. That had and still frustrated Riku to no end. He had been so close. He was still sure he could have broken that new mask of Sora's.

"Riku?"

A voice that had once been smooth and a bit high but had now roughened and had become deeper lured Riku back to the real world. Tearing his aqua eyes away from the clock, he returned Sora's gaze. "How long have you been up?" he asked as he slid out of his bed.

"A couple of hours," was Sora's offhanded reply as he stood up as well. "Hmm… I should've gone ahead and brushed my teeth while I waited…" he trailed off.

"So now we are graced with your horrible morning breath," Riku deadpanned before tilting his head slightly. "You could have just woken me up."

"But you're a princess…"

"So?" Riku was getting irritated, and it showed in his tone. Of all the things that hadn't changed, it had to be Sora's fixation of referring to Riku as a princess.

"Because," and right at the beginning Sora sounded like he was explaining that in fact, one plus one did equal two, "you're a princess."

"And your point _is_?"

Sora pulled out a pair of Riku's jeans and a shirt and tossed them to the older boy who easily caught them. "My point is simply that you're a princess, and as everyone knows, you have to wake up a princess with a kiss of true love. I wasn't sure if we were ready for that kind of commitment, yet."

Riku blinked; mouth slightly open. Then he shook his head as Sora turned to walk into the bathroom. "You're an idiot."

"_Professional_ idiot," Sora corrected over his shoulder before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Riku huffed before he started to change into his day clothes, feeling a bit better. Maybe things hadn't changed so much after all. Still, of all the names, why the hell princess? Well, whatever brought Sora to hi- _them_. Whatever brought Sora back to _them_.

* * *

Kairi smiled as she listened from her position outside Riku's bedroom. Alright, maybe it wasn't expected of a princess of pure heart, but she did want to know how it was going between Sora and Riku, even if the former had only come back yesterday. In fact, she was pretty good at eavesdropping, Yuffie had trained her well. Natural talent didn't hurt, either.

She almost did blow her cover when Sora said that bit about kissing Riku. She smothered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles and actually rolled on the floor. Now hearing the bathroom door close and someone messing around in the room, the redhead jumped up and walked down the hall and staircase, an amused grin in place.

"Good morning!" She greeted Leon, Cid, and Aerith. The two males were poring over some blueprints while Aerith was getting out a few plates for breakfast. The redhead walked over to help, a bounce in her step.

Leon said nothing while Cid just grunted distractedly, but Aerith offered her a smile. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Kairi returned the smile. "A wonderful one."

How could she not have? Her best friend was back from the dead! She had thought that she'd never see him again, and yet here he was, in this very house, just up stairs. A bit hard to take in, but wonderful all the same. And sure, he was different, but he was older. And this couldn't have been the easiest thing for him, either. But she was positive that he would be his old self in no time.

Right?

"Morning, Kai."

She must've jumped at least a foot. Whipping around, she looked up into the face of the Keyblade Master, shocked purple-blue meeting empty cerulean. "Sora! Don't do that! You nearly scared me to death!"

Sora put his hands into his coat's pockets, lips curling into that sliver of a smile. "Sorry. Jumpy today?"

"If you call getting scared shitless by a guy who apparently doesn't have footsteps, then yes, I am jumpy," the petite young woman told him, feeling a bit amused nonetheless.

Sora tilted his head slightly as he stared blankly at her. "You cussed," he deadpanned; though Kairi got the feeling he hadn't expected her to.

"Well, I am a grown woman now. I'm not a little girl anymore, you know," was her reply, placing her hands on her hips.

"…Indeed. You're not," he said almost distractedly, smile now gone. His right hand rose as if to touch her cheek, stopping when his gloved hand was only an inch away. His eye narrowed as he stared intently at her, yet not quite seeing her.

She blinked and stared at him confusedly. "Sora?"

His fingers curved into a fist and his arm fell to his side, the very small smile returning. An unrecognizable emotion flickered across his face for a fleeting second, and Kairi couldn't help but feel as though she had done something very wrong. But what? "I think I'm going to have a look at the blueprints with Leon and Cid," he informed her as he began to walk away. He looked briefly over his shoulder at her before going on, and she could've sworn she heard him whisper to himself, "So much like her…"

She saw Riku standing at the foot of the stairs, and by the look on his face she knew he had witnessed the strange incident. They shared a perplexed look before returning their gaze to Sora, who was leaning against the table where Cid and Leon sat with their blueprints, murmuring questions.

* * *

_7 years earlier_

Sora opened his eyes with a groan. Man, he felt like he had been tenderized and then stepped on by one of those big round Heartless that he didn't know the name of right now. Mind very foggy, he tried to sit up only to hiss in pain and feel a slender hand gently push him back down. Looking up, he saw a young woman with warm brown eyes and wavy red hair.

"Shhh, you're still a bit beat up. You need to relax, it's okay. You're safe here," she told him soothingly.

Blinking, he glanced down at himself, finding that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but had bandages wrapped around his chest, some areas stained bright red. He was laying on a small bed, a blanket covering him up to his hips, and it was then he realized with complete and utter humiliation that he was stark naked. His face felt incredibly hot once he was struck with that realization. He may be naïve, and he may be a…_virgin_…but that didn't mean that he didn't know about_ that_.

Still blushing a bit, he looked around. He and the woman were in a small room, bare of pretty much everything except for a bed, a nightstand, a closet, and a plain wooden chair that she was currently sitting in by the bed. "Where…am I?" He looked back at the woman. "And who are you?"

"I'm Cissnei," she said. "I and some friends of mine found you on the beach. We thought you were dead at first; there was blood everywhere."

"I'm Sora," he told her. Then looking away and blushing asked, "Can I have my clothes back?"

Cissnei frowned slightly. "You shouldn't be up. You need to rest some more, you've just woken up!"

"But I need to see where I am!" Sora insisted, looking at her and pouting slightly. A strong need to do so shone in his eyes, and Cissnei's shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. She couldn't really blame him; she'd be the same way if she were in his shoes.

"Fine, but I'll come with you." She left the room for a few moments, and Sora used this moment to himself to further look at the room. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself for the intense pain that was sure to follow, and pushed himself into a sitting position, letting out a hiss. Finally in an upright position, he noticed there was a window, and it seemed like it was midday, even though the sun was mostly blocked from the clouds. He could see a beach and the sea, but unlike Destiny Islands, the shore was greyish, while the ocean was greyish-blue; wave after wave frantically beating against gigantic jutting rocks. Overall it was a very gloomy atmosphere.

"Here we go!" Sora looked back and saw that Cissnei had returned and was holding his clothes. "I washed it several times, but I couldn't get all the blood out. And I'm not good at mending, so there's still the hole in the shirt…" she trailed off, giving him and apologetic look as she handed them to him.

Sure enough, he could still see blood on it, not to mention the gaping hole in the front and back of the shirt. But still, raggedy clothes were far better than no clothes. "No prob! Thanks for trying, anyway."

She gave him a small smile. "I'll wait outside while you put them on. Unless you need help?"

Feeling his face burning, he shook his head and Cissnei left, closing the door behind her. Slowly standing up and trying to block out the stinging ache of his wound as much as possible, he began to dress. It was a painstaking process, and he bit back yelps of pain whenever he bent or twisted. He wondered absently why she hadn't used a healing potion or Curaga on him.

Done at last, he made his way out of the room. Apparently, there were only two rooms in the entire house. One being the bedroom he had been in, and the other a small and shabby, as well, kitchen and living room combined. He walked across the bare floor and opened the almost completely destroyed screen door and went out.

"You made it! I was started to get worried!" Cissnei said almost teasingly from her post beside the door.

Sora turned to her after sweeping the shore with his eyes. "Where are we?"

"A small island off the continent of Sargria. I and two friends of mine traveled here about two months ago. We came here to investigate something, but haven't found a way off."

"What?! You mean you're stuck here?!" Sora exclaimed.

Cissnei nodded and then pointed to part of the beach that was far away. "See that contraption in the distance? That was a warp pad; that's how we got here. But a giant Heartless came and destroyed it. None of us understand the technology that went behind making it, but we did find a broken down ship and repaired it."

"Wait," Sora said, feeling more than a bit confused.

"Look out into the sea."

Sora did, and squinting he saw in the distance spurts of water shooting up. "What the heck is that?"

"There's a swarm of monsters out there," the woman explained. "There's so many that if we go out there now, we'd be done for."

Sora's face fell. "So how're we gonna get off this island. He had to, because he needed to find his friends again. He sighed. Hadn't he been chasing down friends enough in the past year or so?

But Cissnei smiled. "But Reeve has been studying up, and he says that when this next full moon…"

* * *

_Present_

Leon and Cid had put away the blueprints, and now they along with Riku, Kairi, Sora, and Aerith were eating breakfast. Unfortunately, it was a quiet affair. This was starting to upset Kairi. This unnatural silence, coupled with Sora's earlier strange (well, stranger than what he recently was) behavior…

Riku looked over at Sora for the umpteenth time, a question evident in his aqua orbs. "Sora, why didn't our attacks work on that Heartless? What was so different about it, and what's going on?"

All eyes turned to the Keyblade Master. Said young man slowly chewed the food in his mouth before swallowing, then took a long drink of his orange juice. Setting the glass down, he nodded. "But I'd prefer it if Yuffie and Tifa were here so I can say it once."

Everyone agreed and turned back to their food, but Kairi and Riku took another look at each other, wondering what exactly was going on.

* * *

Again, sorry for the shortness. But you got a flashback! And you're gonna get lots and lots of them!!! :D *kicked*

I will try to get another chapter up much sooner. Meanwhile, please review! They make Sade, Zack, and Sora very happy!

Sora: Hey! How come you said Zack before me?!

Sade: Because Zack is my fave charry of all time~

Sora: ........B-b-b-b-b-but I'm your second, right? :D?

Sade: Actually, my second is Squall.

Sora: ............T.T

Sade: Awww! Don't be sad! Hey, what if I make you seme?!

Sora: You mean I get to top for once?!!!!!!

Sade: There's a good chance yes.

Sora: ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can deal with being third place if I can top!

Sade: Actually, Cid or Reno is my...

Sora: :D?

Sade: Ya know what? Let's ask for reviews all together!

Sade, Zack, Reno, Cid, and Sora: *puppy dog eyes* Please review!

Squall: *crosses arms and glares*

Sade: *sigh*


End file.
